Transfer from SD Card to External Hard Drive without/with Computer

Can I Transfer Data from SD to external HDD?

Data transfer from an SD card to an external hard drive is a common task for photographers, videographers, and anyone needing to manage storage efficiently. This helps to backup SD card, allowing you to free up space on SD card by deleting backed-up data to store more new photos.

Fortunately, whether you have access to a computer or not, there are reliable ways to make this transfer smooth and error-free. This guide will walk you through both scenarios, ensuring your data is safely and efficiently moved.

How to Transfer Files from SD Card to External Hard Drive without Computer

If you're on the move and don't have a computer handy, you can still perform SD card transfer to external hard drive for files, photos, and videos, using specialized devices. For example:

• Using OTG-enabled smartphones or tablets: Some phones support OTG (On-The-Go) functionality. You can connect a USB SD card reader and an external HDD using a USB hub. This allows your smartphone to act as a bridge for photo transfer from SD card to external hard drive.

• Using a standalone backup device: Devices like the RavPower FileHub, WD My Passport Wireless SSD, or other portable hubs come with built-in SD card slots and USB ports. They support one-click copy SD cards directly to external hard drives.
• Via smart camera accessories: Some digital cameras with USB host capabilities allow you to plug in an SD card and external HDD simultaneously and copy files internally. However, this depends heavily on the camera model.

These methods are ideal when traveling, shooting on location, or in any situation where carrying a laptop isn't practical.

How to Transfer Photos from SD Card to External Hard Drive with Computer

For most users, copying from SD card to external hard drive using a computer is the simplest and most efficient method. It allows flexible selection of files, and the process is more straightforward.

Way 1. With Copy & Paste

The commonly used approach to transfer photos from SD card to portable hard drive is through copy-and-paste. Here are the steps on how to transfer data from SD card to external hard drive:

Step 1. Connect Devices: Insert the SD card into your computer's card reader and connect the external hard drive via a USB port. Then, navigate to File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac) to view connected devices.

Step 2. Locate SD Card: Open the SD card folder to access your photos.

Step 3. Select Files: Choose the pictures or data you wish to transfer from SD card to external hard drive.

Step 4. Copy Files: Right-click and select Copy or press Ctrl+C.

Step 5. Paste to External Drive: Navigate to your external hard drive and paste the files by right-clicking and selecting Paste or pressing Ctrl+V.

Alternatively, drag and drop operations work just as well. This process works with photos and other types of files, such as videos, documents, and music. Although this manual method is simple, care needs to be taken to ensure that all files are transferred correctly, and this operation needs to be repeated manually each time for large numbers of file transfers.

Way 2. Using Free File Syncing Software

For a more easier and hands-off method to transfer files from SD card to external hard drive, using free syncing software like AOMEI Backupper Standard is recommended.

This powerful free sync and backup tool, tailored for Windows users, allows you to perform automatic data sync from SD card to external hard dirve. You can also use it to sync files from SD card to computer or vice versa, and migrate files from one PC to another, transfer data from one SD card to another, sync local files/folders to clouds like OneDrive, Google Drive, and so on.

AOMEI Backupper

Best Free File Sync Software

• You are able to set up automatic syncing at specified intervals, like daily, weekly, monthly, etc.
• It supports all kinds of SD cards, and other storage devices like USB drives, network drives, NAS, and so forth.
• Except for sync, it also comes with other powerful functions like Disk Clone for upgrading SD card to larger card or replacing old SD card with one click, Disk Backup/File Baclup to backup entire SD card or specific files.

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Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7

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For how to transfer photos from SD card to SSD or other external hard drive automatically using the AOMEI Backupper Standard software, download it on your computer and follow the guides below.

Step 1. Connect your SD card and external hard drive to the computer.

Step 2. Run AOMEI Backupper, click Sync, and then click Basic Sync.

Step 3. Click on Add Folder, then choose photos or other files from your connected SD card for migration.

Step 4. Choose the connected external hard drive as the destination path to store the synchronized files.

Step 5. Tap on Schedule Sync to enable it and select your auto sync mode as needed. At last, click Start Sync to import photos from SD card to external hard drive.

★Useful Tips:

Basic Sync performs one-way sync from the source SD card to the target external hard drive. To use other sync options like Mirror Sync, Real-Time Sync, and Two-Way Sync, you may need upgrade to AOMEI Backupper Professional.

If you want to format the SD card or clear up your SD card, the Disk Wipe function of AOMEI Backupper helps you erase all data completely. (Available in Pro version)

In the End

Whether you want to transfer from SD card to external hard drive without a computer or with a computer, there are solutions available. With the help of the fully-featured AOMEI Backupper software, you can not only sync photos from SD card to external hard drive, SSD, computer, another SD card, etc., but also clone SD card and backup SD card simply.